Monday, November 2, 2009

the sky goes dark...

Well, here we are…Daylight Saving Time has ended. I’ll leave work in the dark, drive home in the dark, and I won’t see the garden in the light again until the end of February (except on the weekends or a quick glance as I run out the door on my way to work in the morning).

Our days will get shorter and shorter until Winter Solstice on December 22nd when we start gaining light back again. Not to be a downer or anything but I hate living in the dark. Don’t you? Remember a few months ago when it was light until after 9 pm?

Ok enough wallowing in the darkness.

The first day of November was darn beautiful! What a lovely day to get out and do a little fall clean up. Here are a few things I found to be happy about.

We filled our huge yard waste container and 6 qty 30 gallon bags! Satisfying.Slug eggs, found and destroyed! Very satisfying!The Canna’s. They still have unopened buds, and with no freeze in sight (fingers crossed) they might just get to bloom.This might be the last time (for the season) that I mow and edge the lawn. AND, with all the rain we’ve received the lawns that were allowed to go dormant over the summer (most of Portland it seems) are green again. It’s like spring….and with our relatively mild climate they will stay green all winter long. Coming face to face with these fabulous berries when I was making a quick stop at Starbucks. Moss. The rains bring out the moss and I do love moss.The light. Fall brings a different light (when there is light). Soft and diffused.Fall leaves, especially huge golden Terapanax leaves.And lastly…since it's cooling off I have an excuse to bring out my sock monkey slippers!What's making you happy these days?

14 comments:

Oh linda...I wish! In a word...space. I just don't have any. I need to annex the neighbors under-utilized backyard for my greenhouse and composting needs. In my dreams! At least the City does have separate yard waste pick-up so they are being used in this manner somewhere, by someone...

I see you've done the turn-around from disliking to reveling in fall. Good for you. Those clerodendrum trichotomum berries are beautiful, and the lovely moss pictures make me want to get out and plan my moss garden (slated for next summer.)

I like cozy fires, cooking the kind of hot food I can't stand to think about during summer, watching the winter juncos come to the feeder, planning next year's garden projects and imagining how beautiful everything will be in spring!

Sorry about the short days way up north. Being closer to the equator has its advantages at this time of year. ;-) Seriously though, your images are lovely. You're so good about bringing pieces of your garden indoors, like those terapanex leaves.

Hi DG~~ It's okay with me if you want to complain about the stupid darkness. Lord knows I do enough of it on my blog. Damn it's raining. Damn it's windy. Damn it's cold. And Damn it's hot. But you're right. There are a lot of things to be happy about. The obliteration of slug eggs. The green. I love the moss, especially growing on aging cement or rocks. The slanting sunlight on the green lawn. And slippers! I love yours.

I adore your sock monkey slippers ! They match my sock monkey hat that I recently got from the Sundance catalog.I must find a pair ! And the garden.... it looks so lush and beautiful. The moss is particularly soothing to see. I think I will try to grow some different varieties this winter.

I rearranged my entry containers this past weekend and that made me happy.

DD Michelle, my sock monkey slippers were a Christmas gift from the husband last year, but I happen to know he picked them up at the super exclusive shop called Target...maybe they've got them again this year? I loved the pictures of your entry containers!

I still hope to convince you to like the fall. Things I love about the darker days:Everything planted this last month will get regularly watered if the rains don't hold out on us-next year they have a head start.Daydreaming about the garden, reading catalogs, making lists, with none of that pesky business of actually having to go out there and plant everything.Around 5 when it was getting dark at work today, I offered hot toddies around the water cooler, and got takers. Nice way to end the day.The Christmas lights are lining street trees downtown and in Northwest. Tonight we stopped for dinner on the way home, it was early, but we got to see the twinkling lights against the dark city backdrop. I was just in awe of how beautiful it all was.Coat weather. Sweaters, boots, scarves, gloves, hats. It's so much fun to pull out the cozy stuff and head out all bundled up in the blustery weather. Soup - hot and sour soup, creamy potato soup, corn chowder, lentil stew. Perfect for fireside dinners.I'm sure there are more things to love, I just know it.

Megan, your list is impressive. I do love me some sweaters, scarves, gloves and hats. And I suppose taking a break from the pesky business of actually working in the garden is nice. I guess the big question is why is nobody offering up hot toddies at my water cooler!?